Portfolio
Aneesh Tarun
Human-Computer
Interaction Researcher
PaperTab: an electronic paper computer with multiple large
flexible electrophoretic displays
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Aneesh TarunFlexible Display Interactions
○Description: Papertab is a spatial interaction
computer with multiple 10.7" functional touch
sensitive flexible displays. Instead of using several
apps or windows on a single display, users have ten
or more interactive displays or "papertabs": one per
app in use. Papertab merges the benefits of working
with electronic documents with the tangibility of
paper documents.
○Demo Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81iiGWdsJgg
○Patent:
U.S. Patent No. 9,841,867
. Washington, DC:
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (2017). Link
○Research Paper:
https://doi.org/10.1145/2468356.2479628
○PhD Thesis: Queen’s University Archives
Tangible VR: Diegetic Tangible Objects for Virtual Reality
Narratives
○Description: Tangible VR is a system for diegetic
tangible objects in virtual reality (VR) narratives.
Four proof of concept prototypes -- a cube, a stuffed
animal, a treasure chest, and a wooden boat --
demonstrate how we can leverage passive and active
haptics to create a closer link between real and
virtual worlds. The system integrates a custom-
designed sensor unit, built with low-cost off-the-shelf
hardware, to track objects in VR and to support a
variety of custom-made and found tangibles. The
custom sensor unit supports the authoring of
specifically designed interactions for each tangible
object.
○Demo Video: https://vimeo.com/379121967
○Research Paper:
https://doi.org/10.1145/3064663.3064680
3
Aneesh TarunVirtual Reality Interactions
Third Eye: Exploring the affordances of Third-Person View in
Telepresence Robots
○Description: I explore the use of a third-person
perspective, popular in video game design, to
provide missing spatial cues to remote robot
operators. Third Eye comprises a controllable third-
person camera with a wide field of view, attached to
a robot, and bi-manual controls for remote
operation. Qualitative evaluation shows that Third
Eye enabled the robot operators to have a better
awareness of the robot ‘bodies’ they controlled. This,
in turn, afforded new behavior for operators. In
addition, the camera design supported ecologically
valid interaction for social telepresence. Quantitative
data shows that Third Eye has comparable
navigation efficiency to existing systems.
○Demo Video: https://vimeo.com/850697131
○Research Paper: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-
35888-4_66
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Aneesh TarunHuman-Robot Interaction
Snaplet: using body shape to inform function in mobile
flexible display devices
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○Description: Snaplet is a wrist worn thin-film
wearable paper computer based on a 3.7" flexible
display. It features touch sensors for navigating
applications, and bend sensors that allow Snaplet to
determine its current functionality depending on its
shape. Phone calls can be made by removing the
wrist band, and curving the screen. Calls are
dropped by popping the display. Snaplet also
features a flexible Wacom pen tablet that allows
users to write on it as if it were a piece of interactive
paper.
○Demo Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol_uu5pMmq8
○Research Paper:
https://doi.org/10.1145/1979742.1979701
Aneesh TarunFlexible Display Interactions
DisplayStacks: interaction techniques for stacks of
flexible thin-film displays
○Description: DisplayStacks is a system that enables
physical stacking of digital documents via piles of
flexible displays. With a conductive dot pattern
sensor attached to the flexible display, the position
and orientation of these displays are dynamically
tracked in relation to one another. I introduce
mechanisms for interacting with these physical
stacks for access and manipulation of information
using asymmetric bimanual interactions, such as
providing contextual over- views. Initial user
experiences indicate a preference for linear overlaps
as a stacking configuration.
○Demo Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu5sEwDT7dg
○Research Paper:
https://doi.org/10.1145/2207676.2208406
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Aneesh TarunFlexible Display Interactions
Playing by Ear: Designing for the Physical in a Sound-
Based Virtual Reality Narrative
○Description: This work explores proof-of-concept
narrative VR experiences with a focus on sound-
based physical interactions. Responding to a call to
expand upon current design conceptualizations, we
draw on tangible sound-based design in order to
develop considerations for the body and physical
environments within VR narratives. A focus on the
actions the player is asked to perform (e.g., touch,
stand, kneel, grasp, walk, listen, reach, dance) can
contribute to an understanding of VR as a sensory,
embodied medium that offers ways to playfully
engage with physical reality rather than simulate it
entirely.
○Demo Video: https://vimeo.com/512969792
○Research Paper:
https://doi.org/10.1145/3430524.3440635
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Aneesh TarunVirtual Reality Interactions
Mobile Realities: Designing for the Medium of
Smartphone-VR
○Description: Two proof of concept experiences are
explored for a virtual reality (VR) game that utilizes
various qualities specific to mobile, location-based,
and tangible storytelling. In contemporary
smartphone-VR, the experiences face constraints
such as short playtimes, limited interactions, and
restricted movement within a physical space. To
overcome these limitations, a reconceptualization of
smartphone-VR is suggested. Instead of considering
the smartphone as the least capable VR platform,
the proposal is to incorporate VR into an already rich
mobile storytelling platform.
○Demo Video: https://vimeo.com/379121632
○Research Paper:
https://doi.org/10.1145/3322276.3322341
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Aneesh TarunVirtual Reality Interactions
